# Development and Implementation of Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards and Sub-Grants for School Food Authorities

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/usda-fns-2023-hmi-development-and-implementation-of-healthy-meals-incentives/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/343729

> Food and Nutrition Service offered grants of up to $47.0 million (at least $30.0 million) to nonprofits and colleges and universities. It expected to make one award worth $47.0 million in total. Applications closed on November 28, 2022.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | USDA-FNS-2023-HMI |
| Agency | Food and Nutrition Service |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | November 28, 2022 |
| Award ceiling | $47.0 million |
| Award floor | $30.0 million |
| Expected awards | 1 |
| Total funding | $47.0 million |
| Cost sharing | not required |
| Assistance Listings | 10.579 |

## Who can apply

- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education

This RFA is open to all non-governmental entities, including accredited colleges/universities, private or public non-profit or for-profit research institutions, or organizations with experience working in school food service and working with school nutrition professionals to improve the nutritional quality of school meals. Further, the cooperator and/or its partners must have experience in planning and implementing conferences and meetings. Cooperator experience in managing a recognition awards program is highly desired.

## What the grant funds

USDA FNS has established the Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative to improve the nutritional quality of school meals through food systems transformation, SFA recognition and technical assistance, the generation and sharing of innovative ideas and tested practices, and grants. This Initiative consists of four key activities: The Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards for SFAs will recognize and share best practices from SFAs that have made significant improvements to the nutritional quality of their school meals. The Healthy Meals Incentives Grants for Small and/or Rural SFAs will offer competitive grants of up to $150,000 per grant for small and/or rural SFAs experiencing challenges in the improvement of the nutritional quality of their school meals due to limited staffing, difficulty in accessing training, increased food costs due to limited purchasing power, lack of physical space, and outdated kitchen equipment. The grants are intended to help small and/or rural SFAs overcome these challenges, improve the nutritional quality of school meals, and meet Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award criteria. Healthy Meals Summits will convene Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award recipients and School Food Systems Transformation grantees to be recognized, share best practices, and discuss strategies for sustaining their achievements into the future. School Food Systems Transformation Grants will stimulate innovation in strengthening the availability of nutritious food products in the kindergarten–12th (K–12) grade school food marketplace. The Healthy Meals Incentives activities noted above are expected to increase utilization, and thereby demand, for nutritious agricultural commodities, such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits as well as food products that reflect various cultures. These efforts are also positioned to strengthen small and rural SFA’s access to nutritious agricultural commodities through food systems transformation and grants to small and rural SFA’s. The collection and sharing of best practices regarding SFA’s use of nutritious agricultural commodities in school meals, as well as the incentivization of practices such as nutrition education (including farm to school nutrition education), use of local agricultural products in scratch cooking, and the development of culturally diverse school meal menu items is also expected to indirectly benefit producers that supply food products to schools.

## Questions people ask

### Is USDA-FNS-2023-HMI still open?

No. It closed on November 28, 2022. A newer notice is open: USDA-FNA-CN-HTH-NSLP-EAG-2027, closes January 11, 2027 (65 days left).

### Who can apply for Development and Implementation of Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards and Sub-Grants for School Food Authorities?

Food and Nutrition Service accepted applications from nonprofits and colleges and universities. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for Development and Implementation of Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards and Sub-Grants for School Food Authorities?

Closed November 28, 2022. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $47.0 million each. About $47.0 million in total for one award.

### Who has won Child Nutrition Discretionary Grants Limited Availability grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Action for Healthy Kids, Inc., Chickasaw Nation, Department of Education California. The program made 310 awards worth $296 million in that time.